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Preparedness

Visiting the Gun Range: Checklist for First-Timers (Part 1)

For beginners, how to prepare equipment and understand range etiquette for their first gun range visit.

Visiting the Gun Range: Checklist for First-Timers (Part 1)
Booyah Baby - The Big Short

You heard there were thousands of bad guys in the United States, so you bought an AR-15 and wanted to shoot it. But you are new to shooting. What's your next step?

ISIS is training. Are you?

Zeroing a Rifle

Going to the gun range is one of the first tasks any new gun owner must undertake. You quickly determine that the scope/optic you bought is inaccurate and must be calibrated.

That calibration is called "sighting in your scope" or "zeroing your rifle."

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Zeroing your rifle means aligning the sights to make your aim as accurate as possible. This process is crucial for ensuring that your shots hit their target.
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Source

Gun Range Checklist

The list of tasks you complete before you hit the gun range:

  1. Have a clean rifle and ensure it is in working condition.
  2. The scope/optic is attached to the gun.
  3. Load two or three magazines at home with the desired caliber.
  4. Have cash on you to pay as a guest when visiting the gun range.

Here is a list of items I recommend you have before you visit the gun range for the first time

  1. A rifle bag ($45)
  2. Buy targets that help zero in your rifle. ($3.49/13 targets)
  3. Bring a stapler so you can staple paper targets into plywood targets. ($20 each)
  4. A pair of safety glasses ($165; you can choose much cheaper glasses, but I stick with Oakley because I value my eyes)
  5. Grab hearing protection. ($32, goes on sale regularly)
  6. Gloves are optional. ($5.99)
  7. Pick a ball cap that signals your awesomeness, and bring it with you.
  8. Bring an ammo crate to throw all your stuff in. ($20)
  9. A notebook, pens, and a black Sharpie.
How much or little you want to spend on equipment is up to you.

Gun Range Etiquette

Next, you ask your friends or someone in your community to take you to a gun range. Make sure they know how to zero a rifle and can teach you how to do it.

If able, visit a gun range as a guest with your buddy. Your friend will know all the rules at the gun range. This will take some pressure off you since you want to fire your rifle and zero your optics.

Make sure to bring cash to pay for yourself and ask your buddy what the rules are before you go so that you are prepared ahead of time.

Indoor range versus outdoor range. Make sure you know what type of range you are shooting at.

Zeroing Terminology

When you start firing your gun and hitting the paper target, your buddy tells you, let's adjust your optics and improve the MOA.

You might hear phrases like:

  • You are running a 2-minute gun!
  • Let's calculate the MOA size for a specific distance!

I told my buddy to pretend I was a golden retriever. Take it slow and keep it simple. He then recommended the book below that explains these concepts in layman's language.

Resources

This book is the complete beginner's guide to shooting, written in simple, everyday written in language so that it's easy to follow.

Long Range Shooting Handbook: The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Precision Rifle Shooting: Cleckner, Ryan M: 9781518654725: Amazon.com: Books
Long Range Shooting Handbook: The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Precision Rifle Shooting [Cleckner, Ryan M] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Long Range Shooting Handbook: The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Precision Rifle Shooting
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Conclusion

Congratulations, you've completed your first gun range visit, shot your rifle, removed the mystery, and are now a badass.

You and your buddy are now headed back to grab a beer and discuss your next visit to the gun range. Rinse and repeat.

Make 2024 the year you get training and become a competent shooter.

Become a marksmen.

Stay well, brothers.

~ FA

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